Millions of people heading home from the Thanksgiving trip could face inclement weather like snow, which could delay their trip and cause headaches.
While most of the West is expected to be spared, more than a dozen states in the Midwest, Northeast and around the Great Lakes are at risk, with forecasters pointing to heavy snow and gusty winds from the systems.
This came after the Plains states were blanketed with several inches of snow over the weekend and cities in Kansas reported record snowfalls of up to 20 centimeters.
As a result, there were several car accidents and numerous delays. Due to the prospect of travel disruptions, travelers who have the flexibility to travel home later in the week are being told they will have to wait.
That’s because the day these storms are scheduled to hit is the busiest day to travel home, according to AAA. Nearly 3 million people will travel through airports today, making it the busiest travel day of the year.
Millions of people heading home from the Thanksgiving trip could face inclement weather like snow, which could delay their trip and cause headaches
This comes after the Plains states were blanketed with several inches of snow over the weekend and cities in Kansas reported record snowfall. On Saturday, Wichita (seen here Sunday morning) broke its daily snowfall record with nearly 8 inches of rainfall
However, the agency also said Monday is also a big day and will likely be a better alternative as high pressure systems continue to move.
“For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday we expect more people on the roads, in the air and at sea compared to 2022,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of the federal agency’s travel group, said last Week .
“Travel demand has been strong throughout the year and AAA’s Thanksgiving forecast reflects the continued desire to get away and spend time with loved ones.”
The agency chief further predicted that a record 55.4 million Americans are expected to travel by air, road and rail for the holidays in the United States this year as more people put the pandemic on the back burner.
Millions more in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee are at risk Sunday as snowfall intensification is possible south and east of the Great Lakes, meaning isolated places in Indiana and Michigan could see higher snowfall.
Even without the phenomenon, meteorologists expect that much of the region will eventually be covered with a layer of at least seven centimeters.
Airport hubs such as Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit will therefore all be affected – hampering many of the approximately 2.9 million airport passengers who will travel on Sunday, according to the AAA, which is a record.
They all face the looming possibility of wintry weather, as was already seen earlier in the weekend at airports in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Denver, Minneapolis and Kansas City, where officials worked tirelessly Saturday to clear snow and ice from planes remove.
Nearly 3 million people will travel through airports today, making it the busiest travel day of the year
Millions more in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee are at risk Sunday as snowfall may increase south and east of the Great Lakes, meaning places in Indiana and Michigan could see higher snowfall.
According to the FAA, nearly 45,000 flights were scheduled for Sunday, 2,231 of which were already delayed as of 1 p.m. A large portion of those delays were at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the fourth-busiest airport in the U.S., according to flight tracker FlightAware
AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham explained Saturday how the system now hitting a wide area of the Midwest will worsen as it collides with the system that will arrive in the northeast from Canada.
“The same storm that brought accumulating snow to the Rockies and Plains on Friday and Saturday is expected to combine with another storm moving south from Canada,” he said.
“This will lead to more snow and slippery conditions across the Midwest and Great Lakes on Sunday.”
According to the FAA, nearly 45,000 flights were scheduled for Sunday, 2,231 of which were already delayed as of 1 p.m.
A large portion of those delays occurred at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway Airport, according to flight tracker FlightAware. A few hundred more were recorded at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport near the Great Lakes.
Snow is easing at Denver International – the country’s third-busiest aviation hub – after officials reported 700 flights delayed on Saturday alone because of snow over Thanksgiving weekend.
In addition to the snow recorded in Colorado – nearly a foot in some cases – a mix of sleet and freezing rain as far north as Texas and as far north as Oklahoma and southern Kansas made travel even more difficult, causing some accidents along the way. This resulted in the deaths of at least three people in central Nebraska.
Winter storm warnings covered much of Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas, while less severe winter weather warnings extended into northwestern Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.
Delays are forecast as storms from this system – which just bombarded the Rocky Mountains – sweep snow across the central states from the Canadian border to Kansas, while being strengthened by a dueling storm farther north from Canada
As the weekend began, a mix of sleet and freezing rain was already hampering travel as far south as Texas and as far northwest as Oklahoma (seen here) and southern Kansas. Disruptions there and farther east are expected to continue on what is expected to be the busiest day in TSA history
More than 100 million people live within these borders, and snow was falling from Illinois to Wisconsin and Michigan as early as 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
Snow will decrease in Illinois and Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon, while snow increases across Michigan and also hits communities in western New York and northern Pennsylvania
Icy roads and highways in all of these states will likely result in slower travel times, experts warned, urging travelers to plan accordingly and reschedule if possible.
As the night progresses, the storm — and the colder air moving in behind it — will also produce a round of lake-effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes that is expected to last into Tuesday.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Joe Lundberg said the phenomenon – which occurs when cold air rushes over the open waters of the Great Lakes – will cause the coldest temperatures so far this season, leaving up to 20 inches of snow in some areas.
Forecasters expect a record 55.4 million Americans to travel to the United States by air, road and rail for the holidays this year. Pictured: A highway in Philadelphia on November 22nd, at the start of the holiday travel season
“As colder air prevails in the interior Northeast, some snow will cover higher ground starting Sunday night,” Lundberg said of the Canadian system’s forecast path.
“This includes portions of the Adirondacks, the Green and White Mountains and western Maine.”
He added: “As the storm strengthens and moves away Monday and Monday evening, it will bring the coldest air so far this season across the Great Lakes.”
“In turn, bands of lake-effect snow will form and disrupt travel into Tuesday.”
The bulk of the bad weather will then settle in the east on Monday before blowing across the Atlantic and affecting Canadian locations such as Ottawa, Montreal and New Brunswick.
Therefore, temperatures along I-80 and to the north are expected to be below freezing and cold enough that most precipitation will fall in the freezing variant.